McDonald’s absolutely Mcskewered for ‘creepy and depressing’ AI-generated Christmas ad
Backlash over ‘demonic’ AI-generated McDonald’s Christmas advert
- McDonald's Netherlands has launched an entirely AI-generated Christmas commercial for 2025, which has received significant online backlash.
- The advert depicts AI-created characters experiencing various festive mishaps, set to an altered version of 'It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year' with lyrics changed to 'the most terrible time of the year'.
- Social media users have widely criticised the campaign, describing it as 'god-awful', 'creepy', 'soulless', and 'demonic', questioning its message and authenticity.
- The Sweetshop, the production company behind the ad, defended its creation, with director Melanie Bridge stating that AI expands creative tools and required extensive human effort over five weeks.
- This campaign follows other major corporations, such as Coca-Cola, in releasing fully AI-generated advertisements that have also sparked online debate.